The Toyota TF108, whilst retaining the overfamiliar white/red Panasonic livery appeared low, dangerous and sleek – especially with occasionally adopted black rim covers – and arguably displayed the most attractive rear 50% of any manufacturer on the grid.

I adored the BMW’s fashionable, minimalistic combination of metallic blue and pearl white, and in its initial evolution, design architecture was unmatched in visual smoothness and seductiveness. HOT car.

Worst looking car must be that BMW Sauber … they could not put any more winglets wings horns on that one

I am talking about the cars, not the liveries

Liveries – Williams, Ferrari and then nothing

The ugliest livery – several candidates – Toro Rosso, Force India, Renault, Toyota

There’s a big rumor here in Brazil…

How come I don’t get to hear all this juicy gossip? Oh yeah, I don’t live in Brazil. Hmm, I need a team of eavesdroppers in all the major countries on the planet…

Brawn trying to make the team more competitive and Fry trying to make the team viable in face of the world financial crises…

Didn’t see that one coming, no sir! So, how long do we think it will be before Fry is P5′d (because of the economic crisis, of course)?

Interesting point Alianora. There’s a big rumor here in Brazil surrounding the tests at Jerez next week. The talk is that Rubens will test alongside Bruno to evaluate the young Senna.

There’s others talks involving Senna and Rubens situation:

— Petrobras will be a Honda sponsor next year (I do not know the size of the backing!) and the company is developing a product that will be linked with Senna´s (the uncle) brand.

— Ross Brawns think that keep Rubens would be worth to the team on this time of huge change in technical regulations.

— Nick Fry prefer the idea of the guys in Honda´s Office, who thinks that Bruno would be better to the team (commercially?).

So, this news about a new sponsor could complete the puzzle. We have an internal fight between Braw and Fry. Brawn trying to make the team more competitive and Fry trying to make the team viable in face of the world financial crises…

Obviously, it is just some thoughts…

but Marlboro themselves decided not to have their logo

There was a story either late last year or early this year that was about Marlboro seeing out their contract with Ferrari, but no longer putting the actual Marlboro logo on the car at races where tobacco advertising isn’t frowned upon as much.

My previous comment has ended up in the moderation queue.

Now modded – sorry, I’ve been actually working this morning so have only just logged into the site. Yep, ’twas the two link in one comment issue, but it is up now.

While Ferrari may have traditionally used one particular shade of red, at least the colour scheme they chose to perpetuate didn’t make the car look ugly…

Oooh, I dunno about that. I wasn’t overly keen on Marlboro red. While the current shade still isn’t the traditional red they used to use, it is much better. And before anyone asks, I’m not getting into the Ferrari Red debate again…!

While Ferrari may have traditionally used one particular shade of red, at least the colour scheme they chose to perpetuate didn’t make the car look ugly…

I could have sworn I’d seen something to that effect, but I can’t remember where. Mind you, the fact that Honda have cancelled their big launch (just like Toyota) suggests that if they are going down the sponsor-route, none of them have gigantic amounts of money to throw at the team.

Could you put more details about the Honda´s Earth Dream concept been dropped, please?

I did a cursory seach and found nothing new about the Earth/Dreams livery. Therefore, I second Becken’s request for info.

That’s gotta be some sort of record?

Well, Ferrari have been painting their car in a similar livery for a few years! But there is tradition behind that.

I was about to suggest that Toyota might be trying to do a similar thing, but remembered that earlier in the year there was talk of Toyota pulling the plug on the F1 team. Although that is looking a little less likely now they’ve improved a bit; even with the economy in the state it is in I can’t see them disbanding the operation just yet.

Big well done to Toyota though. Somehow they’ve managed to build cars that look almost exactly the same for seven years running. That’s gotta be some sort of record?

Could you put more details about the Honda´s Earth Dream concept been dropped, please?

Unfortunately, I don’t have Brazilian Autosport magazine here in Brazil and the current edition arrives here a week later.

Another question: do you think guys, that this could influence the team´s choice between Rubens and Bruno?

Thanks!

(P.S. Ollie, sorry for post an off topic comment!)

I hope that Ferrari can produce a beautiful 2009 car, because the Williams and BMW efforts so far look very odd.

My favourite livery? The Red Bull one. Bias or not, I think it’s a little bit different and stands out much more than the dull others. When they started tacking on the Red Bull Cola logos to the rear-wing and barge-boards things took a bit of nose-dive though!